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Hovawart is a German dog breed. The name of the breed means "an estate guard dog," which is the original use for the breed. The breed originated in the Black Forest region and was first described in text and paintings in medieval times.
Appearance: The Hovawart is a large dog. Dogs are 63-70
cm (24 3/4"-27 1/2") and bitches 58-65 cm (22
3/4"-25 1/2") at the withers. The weight is
approximately 25-40 kg (55-90 pounds). It comes in blonde,
black, or black and tan, the latter being most common.
Temperament: The Hovawart is an outstanding watch
dog and somewhat reserved towards strangers. They make
excellent family dogs as they are totally devoted to their
family. They are a working dog breed, and require a consistent
and loving yet strict training and meaningful activity
throughout their lives.
History: 13th Century: One of the first documented
recordings comes from the year 1210 when the German castle
Ordensritterburg was besieged by Slavic invaders. The castle
fell and its inhabitants including the Lord were slaughtered,
however the Lord's infant son was saved by one of the castle's
Hovawarts.
In spite of being wounded itself, the dog dragged the tiny
child to a neighbouring castle and thus saved the boy's life.
This young boy, Eike von Repkow, grew up to become a legendary
figure in the history of German law. He later published the
"Sachsenspiegel", the oldest Code of Law to survive
from medieval Germany.
Not surprisingly, the Hovawart is mentioned with praise in
these early law texts. The "Schwabenspiegel", a law
text published in 1274 and based on Eike von Repkow's
Sachsenspiegel, lists the Hovawart among the dogs you have to
replace and pay restitution for if they are killed or stolen.
15th Century: By 1473 Heinrich Mynsinger described the
Hovawart as one of "The Five Noble Breeds" and among
its uses listed that it was useful for tracking the robber and
miscreant. This along with references to the Hovawart in
German law show that it was a readily identifyable breed and
held in similar esteem to that of hunting dogs.
20th Century: Following the medieval period, the popularity
of the Hovawart began to decline. Newer breeds such as the
German Shepherd slowly replaced the Hovawart as a guard and
working dog until it had almost disappeared by the beginning
of the 20th century. Around 1915 a group of enthusiasts
decided to try and save the breed. Predominant in this group
was the zoologist Kurt F Konig. They started by looking for
dogs in the farms of the Black Forest region.
Konig then started a careful breeding program using these
dogs and crossed them with Hungarian Kuvasz, Newfoundlands,
German Shepherds, Leonbergers, Bernese Mountain Dogs and an
African Hunting dog. After much work the group was rewarded in
1922 when the first Hovawart litter was entered into the
German Breeding Registry.
The enthusiasts continued their work and in 1937 the German
Kennel Club officially recognised the Hovawart. All this good
work was almost undone with the outbreak of the second world
war. Because of their ability many Hovawarts were used in the
German War effort and sadly perished. In 1945 only a few
remained.
Enthusiasm for the breed remained undiminished and in 1947
Otto Schramm and some fellow enthusiasts in Coburg formed a
new club the "Rassezuchtverein fÜr Hovawart-Hunde
Coburg" which is still in existence today. In 1964 the
German Kennel Club recognised the Hovawart as the country's
seventh working breed and around this time enthusiasm for the
breed started to develop in other countries. The breed is
recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
Miscellaneous: The Hovawart does expectionally well in
search and rescue, tracking and working dog activities. The
lighter females often love agility. In training and especially
obedience work the trainer must keep positive reinforcement in
mind all the time, as the Hovawart is not as eager to please
as many other working dog breeds. The Hovawart may easily
become reluctant if training is built only on punishments.
The owner of a Hovawart should have previous experience in
owning and training a dog. The Hovawart is not suitable as a
first dog.
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